By now, it’s certainly no secret (or great surprise) that HBO’s eye-watering series The Last of Us continues to rise in popularity and leave viewers on the edge of their seats. As a result, it’s safe to state that HBO has found its new smash hit years after Game of Thrones came to a conclusion. Part of the show’s ever-growing success is definitely thanks to its leading stars in Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey — who portray Joel Miller and Ellie Williams.
As the series continues to craft a deep dive into Joel and Ellie’s backgrounds, TLoU showrunners are simultaneously exploring the divine chemistry between the two characters — which was undoubtedly on full display during last night’s episode. In the aforementioned fourth episode, Joel and Ellie finally embark on their journey of traveling across the United States to Wyoming — where Joel is desperate to locate his brother Tommy and hand Ellie over to the Fireflies to create a cure for the Cordyceps fungus.
And while the show has centered around plenty of dramatization so far, last night’s episode perfectly showcased Joel and Ellie’s blossoming relationship — which included Ellie sharing puns with Joel throughout the entirety of the episode.
Every joke Ellie told Joel in episode 4
From start to finish, Ellie shared a variety of puns with Joel throughout their extensive car ride — which saw the pair end up together in Kansas City, where they were ambushed by a rebellious group. Here is the full list of puns that Ellie told Joel:
- “It doesn’t matter how much you push the envelope, it’ll still be stationary.”
- “What did the mermaid wear to her math class? An algae bra.”
- “I stayed up all night wondering where the sun went, and then it dawned on me.”
- “Why did the scarecrow get an award? Because he was outstanding in his field.”
- “Did you know diarrhea is hereditary? It runs in your genes.”
Ellie’s joke book, explained
In episode 4, Ellie reveals her pun book, No Pun Intended: Volume Too — which is regarded in Last of Us lore as her own personal and special belonging. Throughout the game, Ellie borrows jokes from a book several times, but eagle-eyed viewers were offered their first glimpse when Ellie introduced a few of the book’s puns to Joel during their cross-country journey to Wyoming.
Of course, in a post-apocalyptic world, which is undoubtedly chock-full of sorrow and darkness, it hardly comes as a surprise that Ellie would be clinging on to an item that brings a healthy amount of laughter and joy. And while it has yet to be officially revealed who gave Ellie the book, there’s no denying that the pun book has become a significant item to Ellie which she obviously treasures and hopes to share with others on the daily.